The City That Heroes Built

by Daniel Pierce

  I played video games for a few hours. I'm not ashamed. I had $20,000 in cash on my coffee table. Let someone else work the 9-to-5, I was pretty stoked with life, even without a girlfriend. About 9, someone from the board texted.

  Turn on the news!

  I switched to TV and grabbed my laptop. The TV showed video of Catchpenny lumbering down the street, making pretty good speed passing cars. Tommy Dust and Windshear flew into the shot. Wind and heat blasts buffeted the armored supra. It kept moving. Then something came out of nowhere, like a meteor, straight down. A flash then dust filled the shot before Windshear cleared the area. A hole ten feet deep, and twenty across had been punched in the street. Someone in black flew out of it. Catchpenny was laid out in the bottom, unmoving. Tommy Dust and Windshear landed at the edge with their new partner.

  I turned to my computer. The forum already had guesses at the identity. The best guess would be confirmed later. Impact was out of Seattle, similar MO to the Sky Bandits. She made a natural fit.

  At the scene, she landed next to her teammates. The air shimmered from Tommy's heat. The asphalt around Catchpenny started to melt. The guy inside must have been melting. Then, after about 30 seconds of intense heat, Cal appeared behind Tommy Dust, rifle in hand. He emptied part of it into Tommy's head before Windshear sent him flying off camera. Impact flew straight up. Cal appeared across the street from Windshear and double tapped. A force field of swirling wind protected her. She smashed Cal back against the wall with a blast of wind. He teleported away, leaving a broken section of stucco.

  Fiver came into view wearing a black mask, jeans and a red hoodie that matched his Converse All-Stars. He threw a punch at Windshear's kidneys. She stumbled, and flew straight up out of reach. Windshear hurled a tornado at him. Fiver dove out of the way. A blur rocketed down the street. Fiver sidestepped Impact. The news helo panned out to track Impact's curving flight path as she circled up and around. She flew straight down at Fiver.

  She left a hole in the street. Fiver dove out of the way, but was tossed about by shockwave. Impact floated out of the hole as Fiver launch himself through the air with a flying kick. She dropped back into the hole. Windshear tried to hit Fiver with another tornado; he scrambled away. Then Cal teleported right next to her and emptied the rest of his magazine into her. Her forcefield of wind slowed the bullets, but the damage still rattled her. She fell to the ground in a heap.

  Impact had enough. She flew straight up and away.

  Cal reloaded. He checked on Windshear and Tommy Dust, then approached Catchpenny. The armor started to stir. It stood up. Cal and Fiver watched from the top of the hole Catchpenny was in. Catchpenny jumped out, over their heads. He ran off down the street. Cal and Fiver disappeared. The news helicopter followed Catchpenny for a minute, but lost him in the warehouses of the rail district.

  I headed out to Murphy's. The news recapped the events and said that the police took Windshear and Tommy Dust away in a Citadel ambulance. Cal and Fiver were in t-shirts and jeans, drinking beers when I got to the bar.

  “Dude, that was intense!” I said. Cal shushed me. I kept me voice low and there was music playing. “I'm serious, you guys just finished off the Sky Bandits on TV.”

  “Get a beer and come back,” Fiver said. “Get me another one, too. The stout.”

  “Three,” Cal said.

  I got beers while they quickly talked behind me back.

  “So what's up?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” Cal said. “What did you do all day?”

  “Video games until someone told me to turn on the news.”

  “You ask out the barista?”

  “No, but I flirted with her, I think. I'm not very good at it.”

  “Jesus, man,” Cal rolled his eyes.

  Jen sent me a text.

  I'm at yours, we need to talk.

  I sent, I'm at Murphs.

  I'll wait for you here.

  “I've got go,” I said.

  “You going to finish your beer?” Cal asked.

  “I've got to go.”

  “It's a girl,” Cal said. Fiver reached over and claimed my beer.

  I raced home. I'd given Jen a key a while ago and never asked for it back. She opened the door while I was getting my keys out, but only partly, so I couldn't see into my apartment.

  “Hi,” I said. “What's up?”

  “I've got something to tell you, but I just want you to not panic.”

  “Can I come in?”

  “Yeah, just… you said it'd look great in your living room.” She opened the door. I stepped in to see Catchpenny standing next to my bookshelves. I jumped, and then realized it was the armor freestanding.

  My head started spinning.

  Jen closed the door behind me.

  “How?”

  “Long story short: I climbed in when the Sky Bandits attacked the Sky Garden,” she said. “I stayed hidden inside it when Skyfall made the armor weightless. They took me back to their hideout. I escaped in the armor.”

  “How can you use it?”

  “Catchpenny was my father.”

  “That's why you kept it?”

  “It's a long story, but I kept it to be a suprahero.”

  “But you're not a supra,” I said. “Oh my god, you're a supra!”

  “Yeah.”

  “The nightvision goggles,” I said. “I thought I couldn't turn them on.”

  “I can use any supra-tech,” she said. “And I can pretty much rock any other tech. Computers just do what I want.”

  “That's how you found Skyborne.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Fiver and Cal are going to freak out.”

  “Dude, they already know,” she said.

  “You told them?”

  “No, they figured it out. They haven't said anything, but they know. That's why they gave me the night vision goggles. It was a test. That's why Fiver bought the Citadel visitor's list. He knew my name was on it.”

  “And why he and Cal came to your rescue tonight.”

  “Yeah,” she said.

  “The other night when Chain Lightning was chasing you. You went and got into the armor,” I said.

  She shook her head. “I took the King Scarab armor that East Coast Steve showed us.”

  “Oh shit. That explains why he was pissed at Fiver.”

  “I used this armor’s thermal vision to find and free Red Barber's victims.”

  “Shit,” I said. Words were not coming easily. She waited patiently for my brain to work. “You said you didn't believe the Meyers theory about the supra pheromone.”

  “I don't.”

  “Because you like me.”

  “Because I was attracted to you in an extreme way, and it didn't fit his theory, so obviously, I don't believe it.”

  “Is that why we didn't work out?”

  “Nah, I just don't think we're looking for a relationship with each other,” she said.

  “So what now? Are you going to be a hero?”

  “I figure I owe those guys my life. Might as well join up and use the armor to help them out.”

  “You going to tell them?”

  “Tomorrow,” she said. “I was hoping I could spend the night.”

  “Of course,” I said. “Ah, how do you mean that?”

  “I mean it like I usually mean it,” she said.

  “I don't want to get back together,” I said.

  “Neither do I,” she said and kissed me. She spent the night. We did not get back together.

  July 1, 2021

  “Fucking finally,” Cal said when Jen told them. “We already know.”

  “I know, you know,” Jen said. “I'm just officially coming out.”

  “Congratulations.”

  “And I'd officially like to join up as Catchpenny.”

  “How'd the suit hold up?”

  “Remarkably well. The air conditioning could use an upgrade. The hydraulics on the right arm are damaged. Everything that requires ammunition is out,�
� Jen said.

  “Can you reload and repair it?” Cal asked.

  “The ammo is based on 40mm grenade launcher shells, but it's all custom. The load out used to be nets, bolos, I suppose it could still be used for smoke or tear gas. I doubt they make beanbags.”

  “Bean bags?” I asked.

  “Low lethality weapon,” Cal said. “It's like hitting someone with a baseball bat from a distance.”

  “So what does work?” I asked.

  “The armor, enhanced running and jumping, life support systems, thermal imager, drill, flamethrower…”

  “I thought the flamethrower was removed,” I said. “That's what the brochure said at the auction.”

  “The barrel of the flamethrower was removed, but the mechanics are all internal. That's what jacked up the hydraulics on the right arm. I can get that fixed, and get the barrel replaced, and I'll be able to load and test it.”

  “How are you going to find someone who can repair it?” I asked.

  “Fiver knows people,” Jen said.

  “I've got a robot guy,” Fiver said. “I'm kidding, I don't. But I can ask around. What did you do with King Scarab's armor?”

  “I took it home. It's fairly concealable. I don't think the armor is as effective, but everything else is more user-friendly. It's newer.”

  “It's going to cost me a ton to keep East Coast Steve from freaking out on you.”

  “I appreciate that,” Jen said. “But it's a pretty good deal for you, too. You get another teammate in combat.”

  “Can you move it?” Fiver asked Cal.

  “Not the Catchpenny armor. Way too heavy.”

  “What about the King Scarab armor?”

  “It's pretty light. I can move the whole suit around on my own,” Jen said.

  “Might be useful to learn to use that, too. Does it have weapons?” Fiver asked.

  “There are big switchblades in the gauntlets. It enhances strength, running speed, jumping, endurance,” Jen said. “Plus it has killer sensors. Some other things, but I can't say for sure until I use them.”

  “We ought to test my ability to move it,” Cal said.

  “We need a trip to the range,” Fiver said.

  “I'm pretty sure the feds are sitting on it waiting for guys like us to show up.”

  “So?”

  “I can't pop all the way back here without concentrating for an uncomfortably long time,” Cal said. “Even then, there's a limit.”

  “So we work on a classic exfil plan.”

  “What's the range?” I asked.

  “Abandoned town in east California,” Fiver said. “They used it for a couple of movies after it was abandoned. It's a decent place to practice.”

  “So what's our plan after we practice?” Jen asked. “Keep taking out the gangs?”

  “That's our baseline,” Fiver said. “We've got this territory if you will. Regular patrols. Keep it a clean neighborhood.”

  “I feel like a violent solution is going to lead to a violent retribution,” I said.

  “It's not a one part plan,” Fiver said. “We're out of pocket replacing streetlights and we run a sort of rehabilitation program for minor offenders. Catch a guy tagging a wall, and if he's not dangerous, we let him clean up. Even provide the paint.”

  “We keep a steady press on moving their influence slowly out of this area,” Cal said. “As we move, we'll eventually reach the residential areas. Low income housing, bad neighborhoods that need a permanent solution.”

  “Urban renewal by force?”

  “It's a fairly complex plan,” Fiver said. “But it starts with a safe, secure neighborhood.”

  “It's not going to mean anything if people can't get jobs,” Jen said. “You can't fight poverty without addressing the problem of jobs. Santa Maria grew too fast without an industry. If there hadn't been the earthquakes that drove people out of LA and San Francisco, people wouldn't have come here.”

  “You're right, but all of the people are consumers so all industry grows,” Fiver said. “That creates jobs, the people thrive. But without a secure business environment, the jobs won't come. If we eliminate the gangs, we lower the crime rate, we transform the neighborhoods, that success builds on itself.”

  “And anyone who owns property in those neighborhoods makes a fortune,” Jen said.

  “I wouldn't know about that,” Fiver said.

  “Really? You think you're the only one who checks up on the people around you? I know what you've been up to. You're going to profit a ton if the property values here go up.”

  Fiver leaned back in his chair. “And?”

  “I think it brings up some questions about your motives and your trustworthiness.”

  “I can't change a city without impacting the economics. We're more invested since we have skin in the game. It makes us better heroes. Free Force sits in a small part of town and only leaves to get their name in the paper. The Guardian Angels feel like street crime is beneath them. They'll tackle a flashy villain, and yes, occasionally save the entire city, but that rarely impacts the lives of the average person. It's one of the reasons we've resisted having costumes and suprahero names. We're not in it for ego. That's a dangerous temptation that could lead to poor decisions.”

  “But you're motivated by profit.”

  “We're motivated to do good. The owners of property where we do good will profit. We're motivated to do good where we own property. Again, a win-win.”

  Eager to change the subject, I asked, “Did anyone get anywhere with investigating Glory Knight?”

  “I've got his computer stashed in the armory,” Cal said.

  “I'd like to take a shot at that,” Jen said.

  “Sure.”

  “I haven't been able to make any progress,” Fiver said. “We could try to contact the Guardian Angels directly, but getting near their base is problematic.”

  The Guardian Angels bent towards the comic book end of the superhero hero spectrum. Their base was a homegrown island fortress a few miles north of the Citadel. No one knows who built the islands, other than it was a supra, presumably the same one in both cases. Supposedly the islands were environmentally safe. They were tough to get to, the Citadel being a couple miles off the coast, and Angel Island just beyond American territorial waters at 12.5 nautical miles. Both islands jutted up out of the water, presenting a significant rock wall to prevent arrival by boat.

  Cal said, “I'd prefer to leave them to it. If we get a lead from the computer, great. If not, we drop it. The case, not the computer.”

  “What else should we look into?” I asked. “There's Bikini Kill. She shot up Cleopatra's Needle last weekend.” Cleopatra's Needle was a nightclub downtown. Bikini Kill was so dubbed by Anti-Hero Magazine. She was an underdressed assassin who had taken out mobsters on a couple of occasions. Her weapon of choice was a big shiny revolver, and she tended to shoot up anyone who was between her and her target.

  “I could ask around,” Fiver said. “There's something to be said for someone who is whacking mobsters, though.”

  “Lot of innocents caught in the cross fire,” I said.

  “The mob is looking into her. I'm not sure that we would get there first,” Fiver said. “If you want to try to piece together a profile, you're going to be a few steps behind the FBI. There are certain things the government can actually handle on their own.”

  “So what then?”

  “Patrol.”

  “Patrol? What does that mean?”

  Fiver rolled his eyes. “It means to move through an area to observe the events taking place there.”

  “So you just walk around?”

  “I usually hang out. Simon reads the emotional vibe of people in the area. Cal travels to suss out the situation. This time, we stand by with Catchpenny and wait and see.”

  “That sounds like it has a very low probability of working,” I said.

  “That's why you're coming with us,” Fiver said.

  “Why?”

&
nbsp; “We need some of your luck at bumping into supras.” He made air quotes with his fingers when he said “luck”.

  “I'm pretty sure that's not a thing.”

  “Hey, Cal,” Fiver said. “You ever been at the bank when it got robbed?”

  “Nope. Though in all fairness, I mostly bank online,” Cal said.

  “Ever date a supra?”

  “Nope.”

  “Ever been taken hostage when sightseeing overseas?”

  “Nope. I did some hostage rescue stuff, it would have been embarrassing if I was a hostage. Also, I can teleport.”

  “Do you think I'm in league with bank robbers in Santa Maria and the Ultra-Nationalists in England?” I asked.

  “Ever get attacked by a serial killer when you were walking down the street?” Fiver asked Cal.

  “Nope,” Cal said.

  “We knew where and when he would be hunting, and I was supposed to be bait,” I said.

  “Why do you think you were the bait?” Cal asked

  “Because it was convenient?”

  “Nah, because you attract trouble. We were betting on your bad luck.”

  “Great,” I said. “Glad I could help. Anyway, I'm heading home, I didn't sleep well last night.”

  That earned me an odd look from Jen as I headed off.

  I stopped to get coffee on my way into my apartment. I was grumpy and miserable when I ordered. I was also the only one in the place. Maybe-Moccasin smiled and took my order and made my latte.

  “You live around here, right?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Upstairs, actually.”

  “I'm about to go on break. Do you want to hang out for a minute?”

  “Yeah, sure,” I said accidentally.

  “Great.” She took off her apron, and grabbed a cup of coffee. “Should we go outside?”

  I went outside with her. We crossed the street to the parking lot on the corner.

  “Some one told me that this was going to be a park eventually,” she said. “But that would make the neighborhood more attractive, and then the value of the land would go up, so the owner didn't want to turn it into a park. So it's just a parking lot.”

  “It'd be nicer if it was a park,” I said.